Salman's confession puts Italian Marines case in jeopardy

New Delhi: The

of Italian Marines is becoming a serious matter with the government likely to bring in National Investigation Agency (NIA) for further probe and an admission by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid that Indian assurance may not hold in the court of law.

With their return the government has to show that it means business and may transfer the case to NIA. But, the more serious concern is Khurshid's candid confession to an electronic media.

The two Marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone came back to India on March 22 to be tried for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen, after an assurance was given that their case would not attract death penalty.

But experts are questioning the logic that the executive (the government) could give commitments on behalf of judiciary.

In an interview to a private TV channel, Khurshid admitted that the courts may not agree with the written clarification he gave to the Italian government that the death penalty would not apply in the marines' case.

Italian government has claimed that they decided to send the marines back only after the Indian government assured them that the marines would not be awarded death penalty.